Six Tests For Press Regulation

Our Campaign

While politicians squabble over what to do after Leveson, here are six tests by which Hacked Off will judge any plan for press regulation in this country.

A new system must…

1) Be independent of government and parliament

2) Be independent of the newspaper industry

3) Be effective, with real powers of investigation and sanction

4) Include all the main newspaper groups

5) Pass the test of time, so that we aren’t back here in five or ten years

6) Satisfy those who have experienced press abuses and have raised their voices to call for change

To ensure that any industry self-regulatory body really meets the required standards, we believe it must itself be subject to periodic scrutiny by a separate body acting to protect the public. This second body must be robust and independent, and we believe that it needs to be backed by law.